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Contact: Julie Navejar
kajam03@tamuk.edu or 361-593-2590

Research Institute hosts distinguished wildlife professor for two talks Feb. 22

KINGSVILLE (February 9, 2006) — The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and Texas A&M University-Kingsville will host Dr. E.O. Garton, distinguished professor in wildlife science and visiting lecturer from the University of Idaho, for two presentations Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Garton will present a technical paper at 1 p.m. in room 102 of the Kleberg Agriculture Building. He will speak about A Synoptic Model of Animal Space Use: Simultaneous Analysis of Home Range, Habitat Selection, and Inter/Intra-specific Relationships.

A public presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Center in the Tio and Janell Kleberg Wildlife Research Park, adjacent to campus at 1730 Corral Street.

Garton’s evening presentation will be Hunting an Endangered Species? Using the Scientific Method in Hunting and Management of Greater Sage-Grouse. His presentation will include information about why populations of greater sage-grouse are decreasing, how their habitats have changed, when science can be applied to help make management decisions, if hunting effects this decreasing population of bird and management lessons for bobwhite quail.

The greater sage-grouse has had three petitions to list it under the Endangered Species Act, yet it is harvested in 10 western states. Populations of this popular game bird have declined significantly over the past 40 years due in part to the change in habitat by urban-suburbanization and other shifts in land use.

Garton will provide an insightful presentation that shows how the scientific method can be applied to important wildlife questions to develop objective scenarios of possible management outcomes. He also will address the question whether hunter mortality is additive, compensatory or partially compensatory with other sources of mortality, which is an important question for management of many game species.

Idaho has pioneered Adaptive Harvest Management for big game and Garton will explain their application of this technique in an analogous manner to this upland game bird. In addition to showing the importance of applying the scientific method in management of game, there will be specific lessons and applications for bobwhite quail.

Garton has been wildlife professor in the fish and wildlife resources department at the University of Idaho for nearly 30 years, during which time he has studied a wide variety of game and nongame wildlife.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Stanford University and his master’s and doctoral degrees in ecology from the University of California, Davis.

For more information, call 361-593-4500.

This page last updated 10 February, 2006